


Genesis

by LadyNightsong



Series: Sicut in Caelo et in Terra [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Deity Au, Gen, fmabb 17, fyi the relationships exist but aren't the focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 05:45:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12314919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNightsong/pseuds/LadyNightsong
Summary: Everybody starts somewhere.Our small-town Resembool brothers on a search for their father are about to get their lives turned upside-down.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty! So here it begins. Thank you for being interested in this. It's my first time to actually spend a good few months writing something long and posting it, and i'm proud of myself for accomplishing this- it's my first fic that isn't a oneshot, and i'm nervous but excited. Advice or critique as well as just general feedback is greatly appreciated!

Roy Mustang was pulled out of his musings- that’s all there is to do when you’re immortal, think; it’s not good for the psyche and he’s glad for the reprieve- by the sound of a prayer making its way up to him. This caught his attention, as it wasn't uncommon for prayers to be too distracted or insincere to make their way above to where deities like him reside. Listening to it, he was taken aback though not surprised to hear the voice of a child. The young ones were typically more unbridled and wholeheartedly simple in their belief. He frowned, however, when he registered the raw edge of desperation and hopelessness in this young boy’s voice.

_ Edward felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, though from frustration or embarrassment he couldn't quite tell. It was all becoming too much. It was the early hours of the morning, and the sky was just beginning to turn to a dusty purple that left the mountains elegant, lavender silhouettes. Yet the beauty of the morning was lost on him after waking up with his palms clammy, breathing heavily and sweat slick on his back. He could still see it in his mind’s eye: the golden head of hair glancing down apathetically at them and then the broad expanse of his back, leaving, then seeing a tomato roll into his view and looking up to see her, collapsed, on the floor...  he felt his face heating up, and had to wrench back a sob. He couldn't wake Al up. He couldn’t wake Al up, he couldn’t-  squeezing his eyes shut, he tried ruthlessly to reign in his rampant emotions. In that moment, however, Edward Elric was just a five year old boy who had lost possibly the most important person in his life. The nightmare had made the trauma fresh in his mind, and Edward once again choked back a sob, his lungs on fire and silver, heavy tears beginning to work their way down his face. Weakly- and he almost hated himself for it, because he needed to be the strong one with the answers- he whispered, softly calling out to her and keening, before burying his head in his arms. Almost without thinking, he started praying, not conscious of the action.  _

_ “Please,” he whispered, mostly to himself, “I need to be strong, I can’t be weak like this, Al needs me…” he trailed off, trying to steady his breath after crying. “we need our mom. I wish she was here. She’d know what to do…” his voice faded away once more. Detachedly, he realized he had stopped crying. After heaving a sigh, he laid back down in bed and stared at the ceiling. ‘ _ Maybe all that crap they say about crying helping has something to it, _ ’ he thought. ‘ _ At least I’m not crying anymore. _ ’ With one last glance out at the expanse of rolling hills and the fog slowly blowing through, he closed his eyes, and drifted off into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. _

Roy blinked at the young boy’s words, trying to process everything. That had most definitely been unexpected. The faraway glaze in his eyes caught the attention of his companions, and Riza Hawkeye frowned minutely at her husband, the man she had sworn to protect. 

“What is it?” She inquired, as Maes set aside the papers he had been reading. Roy shook his head distractedly, collecting his thoughts for a moment. 

“A prayer. From a young kid- six or seven? I don’t know, maybe younger.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I think he just lost his mom. That’s what he implied.” After a pause, almost as an afterthought, Roy added, “didn’t mention the dad for some reason.” Riza paused a beat, before raising her eyebrows, silently questioning: you think it’s worth addressing? Roy gave her a quick, sheepish smile in reply; he always had carried a soft spot towards children who had experienced loss like that, and while there were rules, he typically did his utmost to help, even if it had to be from afar. 

“Well,” Maes broke in, “we all know you want to go be a big softie and take care of the kid. That’s good! Let your parental instincts shine through, Roy! You’ll need that to be a father and give Elicia a playm-“

“Alright, alright! Enough!” Roy broke in, scowling at his friend. He turned to Riza. “We should go check this out. Do you mind?” 

She shook her head, mirth still shining in her eyes from Maes’ ribbing. “Not at all.”

* * *

 

Ed felt himself slowly waking up. That was a good sign. He always had restless sleep after a nightmare, and that had been a terrible one, but at least he hadn't gone the night  _ completely _ deprived of rest. He looked over at Alphonse, sleeping soundly and snoring softly in the bed beside him, and quiet as a mouse Ed slipped out from under the covers and padded across the well-worn wooden floors. Once he made his way downstairs, he looked at the mantle clock. 6:23. At least that meant he had a good 45 minutes before any other family member was up. At age five, Ed was an early riser, preferring to read quietly in the gentle post-dawn light and bask in the quiet of a new day.  _ ‘More like the calm before the storm’ _ , he thought with a grin. Still, he made his way back upstairs to where a stack of books awaited him in the corner of the brothers’ room. 

His nightmare had put him in a slightly vulnerable and tense mood, the kind where he overthought. It was never something he enjoyed, but if that pondering gave him a breakthrough idea, he’d take what he could get. He still had their goal to think of, after all- two orphans had no chance in the world. They didn’t want to go to a state orphanage, where they’d probably be split up. That left them with locating their father. Of course, Ed felt anger surge through him like electricity whenever he thought of the bastard, but if it was Hohenheim or losing Al, he wouldn't take that chance. Recently, they had been investigating where he had gone. He had walked out with only a suitcase to his name, leaving his entirely study of books and journals as an open resource. There had to be something in there, and Ed had an inkling of an idea. While Ed had been raised on stories of rituals and the Pantheon deities, he hadn’t actually expected to find his father- someone who was obviously a scholar- also a devoted follower. If that man had found merit in it, then maybe there was some kind of ritual… It was just the seedling of an idea, but it had begun to grow roots in Ed’s mind, and he would wait until it was fully bloomed and realized. There had to be something. 

The clock slowly but surely marched on, Ed lost in his thoughts and book, until Granny Pinako and Al came wandering into the room, Al still shuffling sleepily. After a hearty breakfast, the table heaping with eggs and biscuits and potatoes and bacon, Ed and Al took their leave and trudged up the hill to where the house- the one that should have been their family’s home- stood. Going in through the unlocked back door, Ed and Al silently drifted through the house and up to their father’s study. 

Al wasn’t surprised by the lack of conversation. From his brother’s tense shoulders, slightly guarded eyes, and restless hands, he could tell his brother had not had a good night. He had to resist the urge to sigh, but he ultimately understood- better than anyone else. He just hoped Ed’s mood wouldn't set them back today. 

To try and discover where their father had run off to, the brothers had been pouring over his left-behind journals, hoping for a note of where he would go next or what he had been planning to do. Their main roadblock in this endeavor (which shouldn't have been as tedious as it was proving itself to be) was the fact that their father had been a ubiquitously paranoid man. His notes, all in code and what seemed to be a different language, had to be translated and decoded before they could be combed through for leads on his whereabouts. The boys worked in dedicated silence, broken only by the quiet sharing of ideas and shuffling of reference papers. Ed heaved a sigh and glared up at the ceiling, resisting the urge to throw his father’s journal. 

Time ticked onwards, second by second, as if it were molasses. 

After another two hours of shifting papers and quiet discussion between him and his brother, Ed stretched- lifting his arms up over his head and yawning in catlike ennui- and decided to avoid muscle and mental cramps by investigating the other section of their father’s study. They had a hunch his books on rituals and the magical craft were the key to cracking his journals, and had been trying to utilize them, but to no avail.  _ ‘We aren't cracking the code ‘cause we don’t get what we’re reading’ _ , Ed thought ruefully,  _ ‘…so let’s change that’ _ . Al eyed his brother as he made his way over to the shelves and picked out one of the books they had identified as a beginner’s book. 

“Brother?” Al questioned, clambering up to join Ed at the bookshelf. 

“We’re probably stuck because we have no clue what the heck we’re reading.” Ed shook the book, displaying it to his brother. “Let’s start at the beginning and fix that, and maybe we’ll actually get somewhere.” Al nodded, and the two brothers laid down on their stomachs side by side, reading the book by the light of the window and lamp, frustrations laid aside for the moment as they read together. 

That peace lasted the boys until their stomachs grumbled, and they set the books aside to run back down the hill to Granny’s for a late lunch. Al could tell that the happiness and peaceful quality of the day had done his brother good, but he could still see his brow slightly furrowed, and his shoulders were beginning to tense up again now that his brother wasn't being distracted by a new topic. When they marched into Granny’s house, the three set about making sandwiches, and Al fetched lemonade from the icebox. 

“So? Is it going well?” Pinako asked as she spread mayonnaise on her sandwich. Al sighed and shook his head. 

“No… stupid bastard was totally paranoid,” Ed grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Ed, language!” Pinako snapped, and he mumbled a half-hearted apology. She shook her head. “Well, I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling.”

“It’s okay, Granny, we’ll figure it out eventually,” Al supplied, cautious hope ringing through in his voice. Ed scoffed, and Al glared at his brother, who rolled his eyes and stuffed a huge bite into his mouth. After finishing his food and gulping down the last of his lemonade, Ed bolted outside, tossing a ‘thanks’ behind him as the slam of the door echoed. Granny could only raise her eyebrows at his display.

“That bad, huh?” 

Al sighed. “He’s in a mood. And we’d been looking at a new idea, but it may just… be another dead end.” He almost stumbled over his words when mentioning their new idea, but Pinako said nothing. Al finished his meal, thanking Pinako and carrying his dishes into the kitchen before hurrying out the door in search of his brother. He found Ed, sitting with his knees curled up against his chest and his arms wrapped protectively around his torso, staring at their mother’s grave. Al walked carefully up to stand beside him. 

“Brother,” Al spoke quietly, his words almost whisked away by the wind. “Come back to the house with me. Sitting here all alone isn't going to help you.” 

“I’m not alone, then. I’m just thinking. Go help Granny with the dishes,” Ed muttered without inflection, slightly shifting away from his brother.

“Seriously, Brother? I know what you’re thinking. But you can’t do it! Don’t you think there was a reason those books said it was forbidden?” The words tasted like bitter betrayal in Al’s mouth, but he knew they had to be said. “She’s gone, brother,” he whispered, his voice barely a murmur against the sounds of late-afternoon Resembool. Ed’s head shot up as those words left his mouth, and before Al could even blink, Ed had surged to his feet.

“But she doesn't have to be!” Ed shouted, trembling, his expression a melting pot of boiling rage and impatience and despair. “Don’t you see? Of course they don’t want people just bringing people back and practicing necromancy randomly. But we could actually know what we’re doing! You don’t think we should use all our resources? So what about all those books on it? The bastard’s obviously done something with them before.” Ed seethed, gaining steam as the words flowed. “Don’t you care at all? Don’t you want to see mom again?” He hissed, and in that moment Ed wanted to hurt his brother, wanted to wound him- 

-but seeing his little brother’s face crumble, and his posture slump, and seeing his eyes fill with heavy tears that began to stream down his face- that was too much. Ed stared, shocked and disgusted with himself, as his brother collapsed into sobs in the gently waving Resembool grass. He felt hot pinpricks in the corner of his own eyes, and faster than he could really comprehend his need to escape he was running, and he felt a jolt run through him as he ran away from what he had just done. He wasn't strong enough to look back.

* * *

 

As a deity, Roy didn’t have to walk. He had earned his wings long ago, and, like most any other deity, could be where he wanted whenever he wanted. However, that didn’t mean he wasn't one to enjoy a peaceful walk in the countryside. He took in the gently rolling hills peppered with sheep, the huge blue sky above him, the gentle breeze playing with his loose shirt- it really was the perfect time of year. So beautiful, he didn't mind hiding his wings, or donning the simpler human clothing. He was tempted to whistle as he walked, but he felt that would break the spell of the countryside for him and his companion. She walked alongside him, a step behind, and he knew she was taking a moment to enjoy the fresh air just as he was. Together, they made their way in peaceful and companionable silence down the winding path. Their destination was at its end, where the prayer this morning had come from. As they approached, however, that moment was shattered.

They could hear a screaming match taking place, maybe 100 yards from where they stood. It was too far to make out words, but abruptly, one of the young boys fell to his knees, shoulders heaving. The other one- presumably brothers, Roy thought- stood for a moment, seemingly shocked at his own actions. 

“Is one of them the boy we’re here for?” Riza murmured to him from her position on his right. He nodded silently, eyes not leaving the situation before them. 

As they watched, the shell-shocked boy ran into the house nearby where they had been- Roy started when he realized that they had been arguing by a grave- and then could only gape. He even heard Riza slightly gasp from beside him as they watched the kid run away. As he ran, a bolt of bright blue energy ran from his feet over the ground, and a tiny mound of earth, built up from dirt created by the boy’s magic, rippled out from behind him. Roy and Riza shared a surprised glance.

“You know what this means.” Roy confirmed, and she nodded. 

“We just got very lucky. Is he the one who prayed?” Riza asked. Roy nodded wordlessly, and in synch, they began walking towards the house. 

Once they neared it, they could hear the crying of the boy who had fallen to the ground. He was beginning to calm down, now that he had washed his emotions out with tears, and was sniffling with the occasional sob of someone who has cried himself out. Roy walked up to the boy, moving as if trying to avoid startling a skittish animal. It would be counterproductive for the kid to become overwhelmed and bolt once he realized other people had seen him break down. Riza, behind him, had walked towards the house to inspect the ripples left behind by the fleeing boy.

“Hey, kid. Can you tell me your name?” Roy asked, crouching down to the boy’s level. The child raised tear-stained, puffy golden eyes to meet his own. Roy suppressed a shiver at seeing his hair and eyes- there was no doubt about it.

“Al- Alphonse.” the boy- Alphonse, now- replied, his voice wavering and thick. “Wait…. what?Who are you? What are you doing here?” He was understandably confused, and not a little dazed. Roy thought he could hear a bit of guardedness, but brushed that aside. 

“We’re here to help you. It’s okay.” He glanced up pleadingly at Riza, who gave him a bemused expression as she walked over to Al. She laid a hand on his shoulder, and he glanced up at her. 

“Why don’t you get up? We’ll get your brother too, he’s in the house,” Riza said, trying her best to be comforting, feeling a bit awkward. Roy could see Al’s expression fall at the mention of his brother, and grimaced.

“It’ll be okay. Come on,” he said, maybe a bit gruff for a 4-year-old boy in this situation, but Alphonse did as Roy asked, hesitantly rising to his feet. “There we go!” Roy said as they made their way into the house. As soon as they stepped inside, they could tell it had been abandoned for some unknown reason. The furniture had either been moved or sold, and what remained had  sheets draped over them, a layer of dust coating covering everything and permeating the air. Particles of the stuff floated in the air, illuminated by the bar of sunlight let in via the half-opened window. Al slipped in between Roy and Riza, silently making his way through the unused house and up a set of stairs. They shared a glance, Riza’s slightly furrowed brow showing her concern and confusion, and Roy gave a tiny shrug as they followed Al through the house. They made their way upstairs, and as they moved among the skeletons of the Elric family, Riza suppressed a shudder. The place was eldritch in its demeanor, and the uneasiness which rolled of Al in waves did nothing to help. As they mounted the staircase and went to the study which Al lead them into, the contrast was striking. This room had light, pillows, blankets, a lantern, bookshelves- which Roy would guess the boys had been studying, based on the assorted piles of books. His eyes, roaming around the room, finally landed on the small, crouched figure in the corner. It was the boy. The one they had seen transmute. 

He looked up as Roy strode over to tower above him, then crouch down to be at his level. When he saw Al standing by them, his fists stopped being quite so clenched, though there was still tension coiling through him. Roy, seeing his anxiety, quietly decided to try and be more gentle. 

Though there was no truly good or gentle way to go about this.

“Hello. What’s your name?” Roy offered a tiny smile at the kid as he greeted him. Ed didn’t return it, but then again, Roy hadn't expected him to. 

“Edward… but.. what the heck are you doing here? Who do you think you are?” Ed challenged, curling in on himself the tiniest amount, his voice childishly indignant. Roy sighed, and Riza shot him a meaningful glance. They both knew he had to just get this over with. 

“You can call me Roy. She’s Riza.” He began, then paused for a second, before straightening up and looking and Ed dead in the eye. “Though you know me as Mal’adar.” There was a beat of silence. A pin dropping would have been a thunderbolt that brought reality crashing down. 

Ed looked almost like he wanted to laugh, but the utterly serious look in Roy’s eyes made him think twice. So he’s insane, then? Ed wondered. You can’t just turn up and tell people you’re a god. Much less a well-known god of fire and passion and determination. What? The disbelief written across Ed’s face was frustrating for Roy, albeit understandable. 

“You prayed for strength, remember? Last night.” Roy reminded him, and then held out his right hand in front of Ed. With a simple snap and woosh of air, there was a docile flame dancing above the palm of his hand. Ed’s eyebrows shot up, and his mouth dropped open, before he remembered his manners. Still, he watched the flame, wide-eyed, before looking up to meet Roy’s eyes. “We’re here to help you. What is all this?” Roy asked, gesturing to the piles of books and pages of notes. Ed and Al still seemed vaguely shell-shocked, but Al stepped forward.

“They’re- they’re our dad’s journals. He left, and we don’t wanna go to an orphanage, so we’re looking at his journals to try and find where he went.” Al explained, haltingly at first but then relaxing. Roy nodded in understanding, and walked over to where a desk had papers with handwritten scrawl covering them. 

“Those are our notes. He put it in a code, we’re trying to crack it.” Ed offered, standing up from his curled up position in the corner of the room to walk over by the desk and join Roy. 

“He said we could call you Riza? What’s your actual name?” Al hesitantly asked Riza, still standing by the doorway, and she gave him a small smile.

“Yes, Alphonse, that’s fine. Guardians are different than gods- while he needs to choose a human name, Riza is my actual name.” She walked over to stand at Roy’s side and read the notes he was flipping through over his shoulder. 

“Edward, Alphonse.. what were your parents’ names?” Roy asked, looking up to make eye contact with them both. 

“Our mom’s name was Trisha.” Ed said, but pursed his lips instead of saying more.

“And our dad’s name was Van Hohenheim.” Al finished for him after a beat of silence. Once they had revealed that, they could see Roy and Riza’s expressions changing unreadably. 

“What is it?” Ed asked bluntly. Roy only gave a small start, and laughed.

“Nothing, nothing. Yet, at least.” Then, he glanced out the window. “The sun’s starting to set. Aren’t you boys going to eat?”

Al took a moment, and realized that he actually was hungry- the emotional trials of that afternoon and the shock of meeting a god his mom had told him stories in his earliest memories had made him forget. 

“Yeah, i’m hungry- let’s go down to Granny’s for the night.” Al said, and Ed nodded his head in agreement. “Don’t you guys have to eat? And where will you sleep?” Al asked. Roy smiled in response. 

“Don’t worry about us- we’ll take care of it.” He said. “Actually, we might as well head back now. No use in sticking around when there’s nothing to do.” He turned to Riza, who nodded, and addressed Ed and Al.

“We’ll see you both tomorrow, alright?” She said with a small smile, and the boys murmured agreement. With that, she and Roy went back down the stairs, and once they were outside back up to the Pantheon. She sighed in disbelief, staring off into the distance as she pondered the boys they had just met. Feeling a presence beside her, she looked over at Roy.

“Well- that was lucky, wasn't it?” She asked, lightheartedness lifting her tone. He smirked, joining her in joking.

“Yeah, no kidding- guess we found a good luck charm.” He mused. Then, his tone became more serious. “We should talk with Maes, Gracia. They need to know.” Riza hummed in agreement, and Roy smiled, attempting to memorize the content expression that graced her features.


	2. Chapter 2

When Gracia’s attention was drawn by the sound of the phone ringing, she set down what she had been doing and walked over to answer it.  
  
“Hey, Gracia! Do you think you could come over for a visit?” Roy’s voice, sounding uncharacteristically cheerful, told her there was more to this that he wasn’t saying.  
  
“Of course! Maes and I will be over right away.” She confirmed, smiling and waving Maes over. The line was hung up, and she turned around to face Maes. “Roy just called, he asked us over for a visit. Do you want to bring anything?” She asked, walking towards the kitchen, and he trailed behind.  
  
“We could bring the wine we keep forgetting,” Maes suggested, snagging it from the countertop, and Gracia laughed.  
  
“Alright- he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood, so why not?” With that, the couple exited their house and stepped into the crisp night air. They stood, just for a second, on the street, taking in the city that housed the Pantheon’s deities. Then, without reason to procrastinate, they were suddenly standing at Roy’s door. Maes stepped up, Gracia at his side, and knocked. When Riza opened the door, she gave them a cordial greeting, stepping to the side to welcome them in. Roy was standing in the kitchen behind her, with something sizzling on the skillet and filling the home with a warm, inviting smell.  
  
“I thought it’d be fun if I cooked something,” Roy called out.  
  
“We don’t mind, it smells great!” Maes replied, walking into the kitchen to set down the wine. Riza and Gracia had migrated into the living room, chatting, their friendly voices and Gracia’s gentle laughter floating into the kitchen. Roy smiled- Maes may have been his best friend, but that didn’t automatically make the women in their lives the same, and he was always relieved their group so tight-knit. The world of deities featured abrupt change and frequently shifting allegiances, but these people were a constant, and had been for a very long time. Once the meal had finished cooking, Roy quickly plated it, and together he and Maes carried steaming plates out to the women. They ate quickly- deities, technically, do not need human food to survive, though it serves as an enjoyable hobby and group activity to many- and because of that Roy hadn’t served large portions. They finished eating, and the playful banter of the conversation died away. Gracia and Maes knew they had been invited over for something more, something important enough Roy felt he could only speak about it in person. He cleared his throat, taking a moment to put the words together in his mind.  
  
“Riza and I went to visit the boy this afternoon- I wanted to meet him before anything else. When we got there, he- Edward- and his brother Alphonse were arguing. In his anger, Ed said something hurtful, and Al started sobbing, and Ed runs off into their old house. But as he was running away, his emotions were running hot enough for him to accidentally bleed some magic. We hadn’t realized this, but he’s actually a demigod.” Roy paused here for a beat, and Maes took the chance to break in.  
  
“No kidding? Who’s his parent?” At the question. Roy grinned, knowing their reactions would be hilarious to him when he answered.  
  
“Mal’dyrh. He called him Hohenheim.”  
  
Silence reigned. Gracia’s face was the perfect expression of surprise, mouth gaping and eyes wide and unfocused. Maes’ face was much of the same, though his glasses tipping onto the bridge of his nose added to the effect. Roy snickered, leaning back in his seat, watching his friends and fending off Riza’s elbow.  
  
“Fantastic bedside manner.” she sighed, though her eyes were shining and her mouth was quirked up. This pulled Maes and Gracia out of their stupor, and Maes grinned, before clapping Roy on the back and holding up his hand for Riza to high-five. She obliged, giving him a small smile, then turning into Gracia’s half-hug with Roy on her other side. Roy laughed heartily, and then Maes stood up.  
  
“This calls for that wine we brought!” He announced, and the room was in agreement. As Riza and Roy went to pour the wine, she playfully hip-bumped him.  
  
“Aren’t you in a playful mood?” He teased lightly, and she smiled, the smallest bit self-conscious. In reply to her silent change in demeanor, he put his arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple before hip-bumping her as she tried to pour. She laughed, then, eyes crinkling at the corners. Maes shouted at them from the living room to hurry up, and Roy loudly grumbled back, a small smile still on his face as he and Riza carried the glasses with fragrant, dry red wine to their friends.  
  
A few minutes after everyone was seated again and enjoying the wine, Maes set his glass down, and adjusted his glasses.  
  
“So, Roy! What does this mean for finding Hohenheim? Do they know where he is?” Maes then asked, as an afterthought- “I suppose you haven’t told them yet?”  
  
“He walked out on them, but he left all his journals behind. They’re in code, granted, and the boys said a different language, but he may not have accounted for having a group of deities working to decode it.” Roy replied, and Gracia hummed appraisingly. “I haven’t told them yet, no. Figured I’d tell them tomorrow. Then we can figure everything out. We’ll have to keep them hidden- Kimblee, among others, would just love to dig his claws into the sons of Hohenheim.” Maes and Gracia both nodded.  
  
“We’ve come too far with this goal these past years to let that happen. It really does beg the question, though, of what he was doing.. he disappeared almost a decade ago, but you said those boys are young, and he walked out on the family.” Gracia shuddered after finishing her musing- understandable, as the goddess over family and nurturing- and Roy agreed with what she said.  
  
“That’s why having his journals is such a breakthrough- with any luck, we’ll discover his plans and what his motivations were.” Riza reminded them, once again speaking his thoughts. Gracia nodded, and Maes removed his glasses to clean them with his shirt before looking back up at them and cracking a grin and raising his glass in a toast.  
  
“To breakthroughs!” He announced, and the other three followed suit in his toast- “to breakthroughs!”

 

* * *

  
  
Ed and Al quietly went through their nightly ritual under the watchful eyes of Pinako. She had not been amused by their fighting, or the fact that Ed had obviously hurt Al deeply. Now Ed was stewing over his apology, guilty enough to know it was necessary but prideful enough that doing so felt like pulling teeth. The fact that it was his little brother he had wronged would win out.  
  
As they climbed into bed, hearing Pinako going down the stairs, Ed caught Al’s arm. He was looking at the ground, refusing to make eye contact, but Al waited patiently- by now, he knew his brother well enough to understand what was coming.  
  
“About earlier today… I’m sorry, Al. I shouldn’t have said that.” Ed said, surprising Al in its earnestly, before Ed turned around and climbed into his bed.  
  
“It’s okay, brother. Enough crazy things have happened today.” Al offered, the words an olive branch, which Ed gladly accepted.  
  
“No kidding… I can’t believe it's actually… real. I mean, I know what he was talking about. After I… (here, Ed gulped, not entirely wanting to mention the elephant in the room that was his guilt and grief over their mother) … after I woke up from the nightmare, I did actually pray. And I wasn't really, y’know, thinking… but he must’ve heard it. But I always thought what Mom told us were just stories.” Ed spoke into the darkness, staring up at the ceiling. Turning his head to regard his brother, he saw Al nodding to himself.  
  
“Yeah… and he said they’d be back tomorrow. He’s probably gonna be much better at decoding the journals than we were.” Al mused.  
  
“Definitely.” Ed agreed. “I wonder… he is a god, so maybe…” his voice trailed off, and Al sat up to give him a dark look.  
  
“We already discussed this, brother. You know we shouldn’t. As much as I want to see Mom again…” he took a steadying breath, then continued on: “you know just as well as I do that she’s gone. And Mal’adar is a god of fire and passion and determination, you know that; that wouldn't being her back. We’ll see her one day, and I guess we know that for sure now, but… I don’t think she’d want it to be anytime soon.” Al rolled over after he finished speaking, not wanting them to get caught in the same rut of conversation. Ed huffed, but didn’t bite.  
  
“Whatever.” Ed muttered, rolling over to turn his back to his brother. “Goodnight, Al. At least we’ll get somewhere tomorrow.”  
  
“Yeah.” Al spoke quietly, but gratefully. “Goodnight, Ed.”  
  
When they awoke the next day, stretching in the early morning sun’s light, Ed was surprised that he had slept in to wake up with his brother. ‘I was more tired than I realized, I guess,’ Ed thought. He was glad, however, that he had lucked out and slept well: today promised to bear results, and push the boys closer to their goal. If Roy actually came through, they wouldn’t be sent to an orphanage. They’d have a chance of sticking together. Ed was hardly aware of the grin on his face, but Al smiled when he looked over to see that his brother was in a good mood. They got out of bed- pulling the covers back in some semblance of order to avoid Granny Pinako’s wrath- and Al stumbled into the bathroom, Ed pulling on clothes. They heard Pinako tromping up the stairs, coming to check on them, and Al remembered to wash his hands before walking out of the bathroom to greet her, his brother doing the same. She could see that something had put the boys in a better mood than yesterday, and internally sighed in relief. Those boys deserved a break and a good night’s sleep, she thought, waiting for Al to get dressed before herding them downstairs for breakfast. They made plates heaping with potatoes, biscuits swimming in gravy, and sizzling bacon, filling the home with the sounds and smells of a new day. At the table, Pinako sat in between her two adoptive grandsons, making conversation as the sun slowly climbed above the mountain-crested Resembool horizon. She knew the government wouldn't turn the kids over to a senior, so she would treasure this while she had it, a small smile on her face as she regarded the boys who had become her family. Moments later, she was arguing with Ed, and Al was sighing in disappointment- but the grin on his face said his heart wasn’t in the grief he was pretending to give her.

Breakfast finished, the boys made their daily trek up the hill to their old home and father’s library, while Pinako headed into town for the general store.

“I’m surprised you aren't asking them more questions, brother. Isn’t there something you want to know?” Al asked as they walked upstairs.

“Sure, I guess. But it’s not like I’ve made a list. And it’s not as if they know everything. You’ve read the stories too, Al.” Ed shrugged as he spoke, Al’s face betraying his surprise and skepticism at his brother’s nonchalance. All he could do, however, was accept it- and, to a degree, he understood. He remembered his shock at seeing Roy create that flame in the palm of his hand, manipulating it- Al shivered, the memory a flickering shadow in his mind. The boys pushed open the doors to their father’s study, ready to start the day, anticipating making some headway after such worry over their future.

Headway after Roy and Riza joined them, at least. For a good hour, the boys were alone, and decided to spend time organizing their father’s journals and the notes they had made before the deity and his guardian showed up. As they were reading off dates to each other, sorting the journals into chronological stacks, their work was interrupted by the sound of the back door opening. Ed tromped downstairs, watching as Roy held the door open for Riza to enter. The two started walking towards the stairs, stopping to greet Ed when they approached him. Then, the group made their way up the stairs and into the study, where Al was continuing to sort the journals.

“How are you organizing them? Chronologically?” Riza asked, and Al nodded.

“The stacks are years, and ones on the far right are the earliest. The ones on the left are recent. We can’t find all of them, but what we do have should be in order.” Al had walked over to the most recent stack as he spoke, grabbing a leather-bound notebook off the top and flipping through it.

“Sounds good to me,” Roy said easily. “What have you got for the code he was using?” At the question, Ed glared at the journals, huffing.

“We think he changed it every few years. We started with his more recent journals, but we don’t even know what cipher he used.” Ed muttered, staring at the floor, knowing how sorry that was and feeling not a little ashamed. Roy pursed his lips, but said nothing- merely acknowledging what Ed had said before walking over to the stack where Al stood, book forgotten in his hands. Riza walked over to join them, and picked up one of the worn journals before looking over at Ed.

“Let’s get started, then. It seems we have a lot to do.” With that, she grabbed a sheet of scratch paper and pen, walking over to take a seat beside Roy. “Show us what you had been doing before.” After looking over the encrypted passages, scrawled in cramped, rushed handwriting, Roy started, shooting up in his seat and eyes widening in realization. He looked up, meeting the expectant expectant gazes of the three others.

“Once you get a few pages into the journals, it changes. This is the archaic Seraphic language; they spoke it eons ago- now, of course, it’s changed so much that most deities couldn’t read it. No guardian could, of course, because that system wasn't even put in place until relatively modern times. There are records, though, and we can probably translate this.” As he spoke, his explanation sped up, and Riza witnessed an increasingly rare fire light his eyes and earnestness color his voice. She couldn’t help but smile at his genuine anticipation of something new. She had lost her childlike happiness long ago, he had lost his even before that; yet while neither of them were naïve, seeing his innate goodness and excitement- and knowing the strength it took to have that- brought warmth to her heart and a small but genuine smile to her face that crinkled the corners of her eyes and lightened her soul.

Ed and Al had quickly begun asking eager questions as she got lost in the wanderings of her thoughts, and her smile turned knowing as she watched Ed’s expression of excitement. Roy turned to her, holding out his hand, and they flitted up to the realm of deities for various volumes on this ancient language. Striding through the isles of the library, a collection of knowledge various knowledge-intrigued deities had amassed, Riza followed Roy through the elegant, mahogany-carved shelves. It was calming to bask in the atmosphere of the warmly lit and blissfully peaceful room. Once the two had located the necessary books for translation work, they checked them out and were back at the Elric’s house with arms full of books. Roy and Al, sitting side by side with Ed and Riza looking on from above, opened the book- wincing as its spine creaked- and buried themselves in the research.

 

* * *

 

 

As the time trickled by, Riza caught Roy’s attention with a flick of her hand. The boys were busy pouring over Hohenheim’s library for relevant things, and she took advantage of their privacy to confront Roy.

“Aren’t you going to tell those boys about their father?” She asked, then gave him a look of consternation at his pause. “You understand that you must.” He gave her a baleful look, but nodded, making eye contact with her before breaking it to look at the ceiling.

“Yeah, I know I do. But how do you bring up with a pair of kids that their father is the missing force of order and creation? Or that their lives are now in danger?” He retorted, almost throwing his hands up but instead crashing into his seat. “They're just kids….. but I’m going to tell them. I know it's necessary.” He said, looking at her directly and emphasizing his seriousness in the set of his jaw and the look in his eyes. She nodded silently, accepting his statement. Then, the boys returned, having found a book which held helpful annotations by Hohenheim. They were silent and focused, eager to get started again. Roy cleared his throat to get their attention, not eager to throw this monkey wrench into their relationship- fearing the boys would accuse him of lying, or manipulating them, or intentionally keeping it from them and refusing to be reasonable- but he figured there was no better time than this break.

“Did your mom tell you anything about your father? You mentioned he looked like you, but did she ever tell you about their past?” He asked, trying to open the discussion conversationally. Al shook his head, a regretful look on his face as he remembered.

“Not really. We were too little to ask. She told us that he was important, but I don’t think we asked much more. Though being important probably explains why he was so paranoid about his journals.” Al said with a slight frown. Roy acknowledged Al’s response appraisingly, making eye contact with Riza, who merely nodded at him in encouragement and confirmation.

“Well, she was right about him being important. That’s correct,” he began, only to be cut off by Ed.

“Wait, you knew him? Why didn’t you say anything?” Roy held up a hand to stop him before he gained momentum, running a hand through his hair before continuing.

“Please, let me finish. I didn't know him personally, nor have I heard from him or know his whereabouts. But because of who he was, and what’s happened since he disappeared, Riza and I- along with our friends- have been working hard to find him.” He took a breath, and sat down at the desk, leaving forward across it as if to emphasize the importance of his words. “See, this important position- what your mom may have been referencing is that your dad was one of us. A deity.” Silence fell over the room, covering its occupants, snuffing out all conversation as Ed and Al’s thoughts ground to a halt. Slowly, they digested what Roy had just told them. Riza took a step forward, prepared for damage control, only for Ed to take a step back.

“What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense! How….?” His voice trailed off, desperation and incredulity cracking it and running through his voice as he sat down. Al, a look of unreadable and discomforting calm a mask laid over his face, joined his brother in sitting down. Then Al began to laugh, mild hysteria running its course.

“Brother, think- how in the world could he have known an ancient seraphim language?” Al said, his voice floating across the room- detached and light in its realization as Al started straight ahead, eyes unseeing. Roy crouched down by the boys, trying to look into their eyes, Riza coming up behind them to lay her hands on their shoulders, even draping her jacket around Alphonse when she saw him shaking, concern shining in her hazel eyes.

“I’m not lying or joking. Your father has been missing from the Pantheon for at least a decade. I knew you were a demigod, Edward, since you transmuted yesterday after your fight with Alphonse- but I didn’t want to shock you with the news, and wanted to try and wait. When you told us your father’s name we recognized it.” Roy spoke calmly, trying to calm them down and move them on from the shock. “Al, you’re actually right. I was worried for a second you would ask then about how he knew it.” Roy gave a half-hearted grin to the silent brothers, before looking up at Riza pleadingly for help.

“I know what it’s like to be thrown into the world of the Pantheon. You know that I’m a Guardian, essentially a bodyguard, yes?” She looked down at them, and was relieved to see posing a question shook Ed back to the present and out of his thoughts.

“Uh- yeah, we do,” He replied after a beat. She squeezed his shoulder encouragingly.

“Well, you don’t know how Guardians come to be. When a demigod dies, their soul ascends, and they get a choice: to join their brothers and sisters in the Afterlife, or to forget their old lives and be granted a new life with the job of protecting higher-level deities, sometimes their demigod children. Some demigods go their entire lives without realizing who they are, passing off their powers as dreams or coincidence until the end of their lives.” She said, before pausing, wondering what words would get through to them. “I still don’t know completely what my old life was like. From a newspaper clipping, and then looking at records, I discovered that I was Riza Hawkeye while I was alive. But I do remember the shock of being told who I was, having to adapt to this new world.” Roy set his hand on her shoulder, then, moving to stand beside her. After quickly gave him a grateful look, she gently raised Ed and Al’s faces to look at her in the eyes. They looked mildly surprised at her actions, but she just looked at them dead in the eyes. “As Hohenheim’s children, you’ll be a target for those who want to manipulate his power. Not all deities are good; you know that there is balance between chaos and order, destruction and creation. But it will be okay. We’re here to protect you, at least until you can do so yourselves.” She spoke louder now, with a firm grip on their shoulders. After a beat of comprehension, Ed and Al exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked up at her with gratefulness in their eyes and quiet relief on their faces.

“Okay.” said Al quietly, before standing up and looking at Roy. “You said that you’ve been looking for our father?” Roy nodded in reply, relieved but mildly confused. “We don’t want to end up separated in an orphanage, and for that we know we need to find him too.” Ed, understanding his brother’s intentions, stood up to mirror him. “So let’s get to work.” Ed finished, his young voice strong with drive. Roy, seeing this, knew instantly why the boy’s prayer from yesterday morning had gone to him. For a god that was fire and its archetypes- passion, drive, determination and power- embodied, it was obvious.

“You’re right, Al. So let’s get to work.” Grinning at the boys, who gave him hesitant grins back, he grabbed Riza’s hand to squeeze it before being literally dragged to the books piled up. Riza gave a relieved sigh, the weight of the boys’ shocked reactions lifting from her shoulders as she saw them moving forward with a goal in mind. That was evidence that things were, at the very least, looking up, and she could be hopeful for what was to come.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Translation work served to be a very efficient distraction from the world, and the three of them worked in quiet stillness that lay heavily over the room, only breaking it to ask each other questions and seek reference material. Ed was pacing as he read, muttering silently to himself, while Al sat cross-legged on the floor, showing something to Roy and then turning to make a note. Riza’s voice floated up through the house, drawing Roy’s attention, and he rose to meet her and the people she had brought.

Ed directed his attention to the door as well, while Al stood up to go stand beside Roy. The door opened, and in walked Riza, followed by a woman with short, brown hair and warm hazel eyes tinted green. At her side was a dark-haired man with intelligent green eyes and glasses. He grinned, raising his hand in greeting at Roy, who turned to Ed and Al and watched as Maes leapt over to swoop the boys up into a hug, chattering loudly.

“This is Maes Hughes- a Guardian like Riza, and then his wife and charge is Gracia. We’ve been friends for a long time.” Roy said lightly smirking at the boys’ unsettled reaction to Maes’ boisterous greeting.

“It’s good to meet you both,” Gracia said, smiling kindly and moving over to stand beside Riza. They all began to bring Gracia and Maes up to speed with their work. Ed and Al took a break to go eat lunch with Pinako, and when they got back, the four members of the Pantheon had decided it was time to bring up how they would protect the boys from those who would want to take advantage of a child of Hohenheim. When Ed and Al tromped up the stairs, Roy greeted them, and Maes moved in for the bait, asking for the answer to a question.

“Okay… what is it?” Ed asked, mildly confused by the way the four were acting, his brow furrowing as he spoke.

“Ed, Al, neither of you ever had a teacher or learned to fight, correct?” Riza asked, stepping over to sit down in a chair beside Gracia.

“No, not really- we’re too young.” Al replied, shaking his head. It was something the boys had looked into when working out a plan to avoid being separated, but ultimately it had not been a valid option at their ages. Typical apprenticeships started at around 13, and the realization that wasn't had been a disappointing one. They hadn’t even gotten as far as deciding a trade to follow, which was a daunting choice.

“But you do remember what we told you- about there being dangerous people in the Pantheon who would want to manipulate or harm you.” Riza established, and the boys nodded, slightly curling in on themselves. Riza wanted to sigh, knowing that stress like that was not good for such young people. Gracia stood up, stepping forward to kneel before them, setting her hands on their shoulders and looking into their downcast eyes.

“Well, there’s a woman we know who may be able to be your teacher. While we continue to search for your father, she could teach you to fight for yourselves, and make sure your safety is in good hands.” She smiled encouragingly, noticing that she had caught Ed’s interest. Al’s eyes were unfocused, staring off into nothing, but suddenly he came back to himself, making eye contact with his brother. Ed knew his brother well enough to understand the light in his eyes and set of his jaw, and Al likewise; they had come to a mutual agreement. In synch, they looked at Riza, who was regarding them cooly, waiting to see their decision.  
“We want to be able to protect ourselves. We’ll do it.” Ed said, conviction strong in his voice. Riza smiled, and Ed and Al could see Maes and Gracia exchange a look of impressed surprise as Roy grinned.

“We’re talking about the goddess of strength and combat. I’m not sure what name she’d want to be known as in the human world, but I’ll talk to her tonight. She may need some convincing to train you, but I think we’ll have success.” Roy said, stepping forward to address the boys. They nodded in acknowledgement, and Gracia gave a small sigh.

“It must be very hard to digest for you boys- this is all so new. Are you sure you’re okay with this? If not, we could try to figure something else out,” she said, hesitantly and carefully. Ed gave a laugh that was concerningly hollow, and Roy shifted his stance in half preparation to step forward, but a resigned grin rested on Ed’s lips.

“Duh, it’s a lot. But we don’t have a choice, do we? I, uh- I have fuzzy memories of something like what happened with Al. The energy, and stuff.” Ed shifted awkwardly, unsure of himself, not particularly wanting to bring this up but feeling that it was important. “So I know you’re not making crap up to feed to Al and I. Plus, with the fire, we know you aren’t lying about who you are. And if our dad was a god, we’ll probably need your help to find him.” Al broke in at his pause, nodding and continuing.

“Plus, if our lives really are in danger, we don’t wanna be coddled. We want to protect ourselves.” At Al’s words, Maes chuckled. ‘And there you have it,’ he thought. ‘Their teacher’s going to get along splendidly with them.’ After a pause, reflecting on what he said, he mentally amended- ‘Well, Al at least. Ed’s got a temper.’ The boys’ determination left nothing more to be said. They worked in relative quiet from then on, only questions and explanations breaking the silence of their focused work. When the sun was at its peak and there was a washed, clear, cloudless summer sky, the boys ran down to Pinako’s for lunch, hesitantly but truly excited about their progress. At their return, they found the deities and guardians circled around in conference, discussing in hushed, uneasy tones.

“What is it?” Ed asked, stepping into the room, everyone turning to face the brothers. Roy stepped over to them, gesturing to the notes that they had been making on the cryptography that Hohenheim had been using to encrypt his notes.

“We figured out part of the code. We were wrong about the phrase at the beginning of this passage- it’s an epithet, and the subject of the sentence, so we figured it was important after seeing it multiple times.” Roy explained, and pointed at the words which they had been missing. Ed and Al started at the unfamiliar characters of the Seraphim language, finally uncoded. “It means ‘sinful ones’, and knowing this section helps us out with decoding a fair amount of the rest. It’ll still have to be translated after we decode it, but this is good progress. Whoever these ‘sinful ones’ are, they were an important part of whatever he was doing. He references them quite a bit.” Ed nodded as he digested the information, before grinning.

“Awesome! What are we waiting for?” He said decisively, eyes glinting with fire and excitement. He hurried to sit down and resume the work, his brother at his side, expression mirrored on his features. Roy chuckled, watching the boys’ personalities shine through, and after sharing a secret smile with Riza he joined them in cracking their father’s code.

 


End file.
